Chapter Text
The digital clock on his bedside blinked at him, the numbers showing 6:54 AM, signalling that patrol has finished nearly 4 hours ago. At the reminder, a wave of bone-deep exhaustion washed over him, his eyelids fluttering shut for a second, letting him know he should be sleeping like the others—just as he should've been the night before, and the one before that, and even before that one too. Tim didn't get up from his desk, eyes going back to the murder case at hand.
His newest case was a long series of murders, with all of the victims, thirty-something so far, stabbed and carved with the murderer's motif before being left for Death to come after. So far, the victims have all been somewhere in their twenties, having worked at a shelter or soup kitchen. Harmless people.
(Okay, maybe Bruce doesn't know Tim took the case file from his office, so what? Bruce should know by now he can't hide every case with stomach-flipping photographs from his detective children.)
Tim would really appreciate it if the littering of bodies of innocent civilians came to a stop, and to do that he'd need this case to be solved and wrapped up with a pretty bow on top before long.
The perfect plan, really.
If only Tim could secure his train of thought long enough to come to some sort of conclusion.
The sound of knocking jolted Tim from his sleep, a disgruntled noise coming from his mouth. He didn't realise he was sleeping. Damn it.
Tim groaned as the knocking coming from behind the door got more persistent.
"Come in, asshole."
Dick swayed the door open, one hand on his hip and the other on the doorknob. His older brother frowned as he took in Tim's current state.
"Why were you sleeping at your desk?"
"Trying out a new sleeping position, obviously." Tim tried to get up from his chair, but apparently his legs decided to turn into jelly after only a few hours of sleep, so he sort-of-kind-of-maybe stumbled and had to lean on the desk to stay on his feet.
"Uh huh, of course, and how is that playing out for you?" Dick's sarcasm only earned him a glare from Tim, except it wasn't as effective when he couldn't even stand on his own.
With an exasperated sigh, Dick shook his head and left his stance at the door to take his brother's hand in his own. He slid his arm around Tim's waist and took on some of his weight with ease. Tim's other hand clutched his sleeve.
The pair stood in silence for a moment as the atmosphere turned bittersweet. Dick's smile flattened a bit as he looked down at Tim with a weight in his eyes. Tim didn't like it, couldn't bear it.
"When did you sleep, Baby Bird?" his older brother's voice was laced with worry as he tried to take a look into Tim's eyes. He couldn't help looking at the floor instead.
"Like, 7 AM, I think.." He muttered with a half-hearted shrug, eyes still glued to the old socks on his feet.
Dick just sighed before hugging Tim tightly and burying his face in his hair. Tim wrapped his arms around Dick, leaning his head on his chest and listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.
"So stupid, so cute."
"Thanks."
Dick squeezed him a bit more.
..And then their moment was ruined by Jason.
"Hey, Alfred was asking where you two we- why are you hugging?" Dick and Tim both looked up at him as Jason's eyes were looking back and forth between them.
"Jay! Tim barely slept for three hours!" Dick, the absolute traitor that he is, exclaimed to Jason without a moment's hesitation and no small amount of exaggerated sadness.
Jason just stared for a moment.
"Timmy, why the fuck were you awake?"
"New case. Innocent victims."
"And you thought you'd be able to solve it with a few cups of caffeine?"
Tim didn't diginify that with a response, instead opting to bury his face in the croak of Dick's neck. Dick huffed an amused breath at his brothers' antics and Tim tried to suppress a smile.
"C'mon Timbuktu, time for sleep." Jason—ever the tank of a man that he is—walks up to them and just, picks Tim up from his waist like he weighs two grapes and a half.
"I hate you and your height."
"Of course, Tiny Timmy, now let's get you back to bed."
Jason tucks his right arm underneath Tim's knees, his left keeping hold on his back. He held Tim in a god-forsaken princess carry as he trudged to Tim's twin bed, before unceremoniously dropping him on it and laying down beside him.
"Why are you on my bed?" Tim glared at his brother, both of them ignoring Dick's snickering in the background.
"Because I want to. And what's stopping us from cuddling?"
Tim couldn't disagree with that. He sighed.
"Fine!"
Tim laid down beside Jason, burying his face into his shoulder and letting Jason wrap his arms around his waist, his own around Jason's torso.
"Aww, can I join? Please, please, please!"
"Yeah, Dickiebird, c'mon. Hop on this train of madness!"
As Dick complied, rushing to lay on Tim's other side and playing with his tangled hair, a lazy smile pulled at Tim's lips. He drifted into the welcoming darkness of sleep, feeling the two warm bodies of his older brothers on each side of him. He wished sincerely that he could stay like this for eternity, surrounded by warmth and safety, just as the darkness lured him into its tight embrace.
Tim jolted as he felt the bed dip beside him, turning his head as best as he can to look behind him. With the strong body heat he associated with Dick's cuddles now gone, his only source of warmth was Jason—now on his back with an arm hanging from the edge of the bed and the other still tucked around Tim—and his own sleep-induced warmth.
Tim tried to blink the blurriness away from his sight as a confused sound made its way from his throat and his shoulders tensed.
"Relax, Timothy. It's only me." A small, or at least smaller, hand was put on his shoulder, a grounding weight pulling him back to Damian's voice.
The sound that came from Tim could only be described as an oh. That same hand left his shoulder and went down to his hand, tan fingers intertwining with his pale ones.
Tim turned around, now fully facing his youngest brother with Jason's hand landing somewhere between his chest and tummy, keeping his hold on the cold hand in his warm one.
A soft smile, as sweet as Dick's touch and as gentle as Jason's care, graced his face as his gray-blue eyes met palm green.
"Hi." His voice was raspy, heavy with exhaustion and sleep, his volume barely able to go above a mumble. Damian only replied by tightening his hold on Tim's hand, a small smile tugging at his lips.
"Go back to sleep, brother." His eyes were soft, almost glowing in the silver of afternoon sunlight reaching them from behind the curtains. If Tim was a little bit more awake, more aware, he would've noticed the flood of unfiltered fondness and untamed love deep within the eyes picking apart his own.
Tim only hummed, eyes slipping shut and arms pulling Damian into a loving embrace, imitating what it would be like to pull him inside his heart.
He could faintly feel arms wrapping around his torso as he drifted off to join the familiar darkness once again.